Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind (RNZFB)
Media release
31 August 2007

RNZFB Creates Reading History in NZ Book Month

The RNZFB and the organisers of NZ Book Month are making history: for the first time ever in New Zealand, a book is being released to RNZFB members in braille, audio, large print and electronic text at the same time as its standard print counterpart.

This was possible because the organisers of NZ Book Month provided an electronic file of the “Six Pack Two” book at the same time it was sent to their publishers. Since then, six narrators and the RNZFB’s studios have recorded “Six Pack Two”, and the Foundation’s Accessible Format Production department has produced the book in other accessible formats.

Thanks to this cooperation and digital technology, the publishing process was easy and ensures that blind, deafblind and vision-impaired people will have access to “Six Pack Two” at the same time as sighted people.

“Six Pack Two” is the second of its kind to be released as a product of NZ Book Month. It consists of six vibrant new works by writers from across the country who entered a writing competition and had their stories judged anonymously. The winning authors and their works will be announced at the launch of NZ Book Month at Te Papa, Wellington, on 2 September.

Mary Schnackenberg, RNZFB Manager of the Library and Studios, says, “Everyone believes in the right to read, but that simply does not exist for those in the blindness community – at least not yet. But with technology and greater cooperation between publishers and the Foundation, we are making significant moves in the right direction. We’ve worked successfully and smoothly with the organisers of NZ Book Month, and we hope this practice spreads to other publishers.

“If the right to read is fundamental, then we all have to work toward improving accessibility. Simultaneous publication in print and accessible formats should be the rule rather than the exception, and we are working hard to make that a reality.”

Phil Twyford, Project Director of NZ Book Month, says, “New Zealand books are special because they’re ours and reading is an important cultural experience, so we’re delighted that ‘Six Pack Two’ will be available to the blind community at the same time as the sighted community.”

Currently, less than 5% of printed material is estimated to be available globally in accessible formats.

The RNZFB is the primary provider of vision-related rehabilitation services to 11,700 blind, deafblind and vision-impaired members. It costs approximately $22m a year to deliver a wide range of member services, with just one-third of the funding coming from government sources.

To find out more about accessible information, go to www.rnzfb.org.nz/ourservices/readingandwriting/accessibleinformation .

ENDS

© Scoop Media